The country of Wales is located in the western part of Britain and is one of the four constituent countries of the United Kingdom.

From its original Celtic origins, a distinct Welsh national identity emerged in the centuries after the Roman withdrawal from Britain in the 5th century.

The country is bilingual, with both Welsh and English being official languages. However, English is the predominant language spoken, with approximately 20 percent of the population able to speak Welsh.[1]

Most researchers will be researching with the context of these historic counties. Wales, like many other countries, has seen much reorganisation over time and it may be necessary to search in several counties.

The National Library of Wales at Aberystwyth has begun a £20 million project to make large parts of its collection available on-line. The project will take 10 years to complete and will involve the digitising of millions of documents, newspapers and books.